Hi my name is Mark Reed. I am 37 years old and live on the Gold Coast. I have autism, and with support from my carers I live on my own. I have an active life playing sport and doing daily exercise.
In 1992 I won several gold medals at the Brisbane Special Olympics for swimming. Currently I play cricket, both indoor and outdoor. I am hoping to compete again at the Special Olympics for cricket.
At home I enjoy cooking with support from my carers. I prepared meals for functions and have cooked barbeques for Christmas parties with friends and guests at the Yalbaru Respite Centre. I am currently looking forward to getting a job where I can use my cooking skills.
With my experiences of living with autism, I have been asked to talk about some of my life’s journey at conferences. For example, the Queensland Centre of Excellence for Behaviour Support invited me to be the keynote speaker and I will present to a large audience of disability support workers in Brisbane.
I hope that in the future my experiences of living with autism will provide me with more opportunities to travel and present my story. With support, I hope to travel to Sydney and Melbourne, and later to Paris, England and America where I can present my life story to everyone.
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